Senior selected to showcase

Katie Rietkovich, a senior at South Effingham High School, will have the chance to show off her skills at the Queen of Diamonds Showcase South later this month at Winthrop University in Rock Hill, S.C.

RINCON - South Effingham High School senior Katie Rietkovich has been selected to attend the third annual Queen of Diamonds Showcase South softball tournament.

This is the second year Rietkovich, who plays for the Angels Gold Fastpitch Softball Team, has been selected for the showcase - the largest college showcase of its kinds for high school-age softball players in North America.

Rietkovich is the daughter of Ty and Patty Rietkovich of Guyton.

The tournament will be Aug. 30-31 at Winthrop University in Rock Hill, S.C. This year's event drew nearly 2,500 applicants from 33 states and Canada.

The Queen of Diamonds Showcase is designed to give players the opportunity to demonstrate their skills in front of college coaches who may be interested in recruiting them.

This year's participants are mostly juniors and seniors. In addition, a group of younger promising players will have the opportunity to showcase their skills to college coaches alongside the older players who are eligible to be recruited.

Showcase director Kirt Whiteside said the athlete who makes the cut for the tournament is a special player.

"College coaches from around the country have reviewed players and secured player profile information of athletes who have been selected to the QDSS or will attend this event in person to review these future collegiate stars," he said. "This event is like one-stop shopping for those coaches looking to maximize their recruiting efforts."

Whiteside said a few hundred coaches from varying states will see the players, which will increase the athlete's odds at playing collegiate ball.

"Where else in the world can you see 260-plus players who have been selected from a group of outstanding athletes out of a pool of more than 2,000? These athletes are surely the cream of the crop."

Rietkovich's accomplishments include being named to the first team All-State AAA, first team All Greater Savannah and first team All Region AAA.

She is a four-year varsity starter for South Effingham High School.

She has been playing with the Angels Gold Girls Fastpitch Softball Organization for the past eight years.

She has played in numerous college showcase events as well as national gold qualifiers.

A power-hitter with 24 career home runs, Rietkovich is considered to be one of the top infielders in Georgia and is expected to sign a scholarship this November to play college softball.

Rietkovich has taken unofficial visits and/or has been recruited by Georgia Southern University, Appalachian State University, University of South Carolina, University of Georgia, Newberry College, Armstrong Atlantic State University, Presbyterian College, Charleston Southern University, James Madison University, Bervard College and McNeese State.

For more information on the Queen of Diamonds Showcase events, go to www.theqsport.com.